Malvertising
The use of malicious online advertisements, often served through legitimate ad networks, to direct victims to phishing sites or trigger malware downloads.
Malvertising is the practice of using online advertisements — frequently placed through otherwise legitimate ad networks and search engine results, including paid search ads that can outrank genuine organic results — to direct victims toward a phishing site, a fake wallet app (see Kaavon's "Fake Wallet App" glossary definition) download, or a page that triggers a malware download, often by closely imitating a well-known, trusted crypto brand's name and appearance in the ad itself.
Because malvertising can appear at the very top of search results above genuine organic listings, and the displayed ad URL can be made to look deceptively similar to a legitimate site's real address, it's a particularly effective vector precisely because victims often trust that a top search result or prominent ad has been vetted, when in reality ad platforms don't reliably catch every malicious advertiser before their ad goes live. Verifying a URL carefully before clicking, and navigating directly to a known, bookmarked address rather than searching for a crypto service by name, are commonly recommended defenses against this risk.
Examples
- A malvertising campaign might place a fake ad mimicking a popular wallet's branding at the very top of search results, above the actual legitimate website.
- Navigating directly to a known, bookmarked address rather than searching for a crypto service by name is a common defense against falling victim to malvertising.